Cardiology Research and Practice (Jan 2010)
Emerging Approaches of Transcatheter Valve Repair/Insertion
Abstract
Aortic stenosis (AS) and mitral regurgitation (MR) account for the majority of valvular diseases and their prevalence is increasing according to increased life expectancy. Surgical treatment is the gold standard, although operative risk may be high in some patients due to comorbidities and age. A large part of the patients at high surgical risk who could beneficiate of treatment are not referred to surgery. Therefore, there is a need of alternative and less invasive procedures.